Puppy Love – Accrington team names their sponsored guide dog

The Accrington Specsavers team has set tails wagging with a special event to name their sponsored guide dog after reaching their £5,000 charity target to fund his intensive year-long specialist training.

Suzanne George store director, said: ‘On behalf of the store and the charity, I would like to say a huge thank you to the people of Accrington for their wonderful support in helping us reach our target.

Puppy loveAfter careful deliberation, the Specsavers team have decided to name their sponsored dog ‘Bert’ and were presented with a special certificate and picture of the adorable three-month-old black and tan puppy.

A long term supporter of the Guide Dogs charity, the store has held an array of fundraising events over the last 12 months and are looking forward to inviting Bert into store for the first time very soon.

‘Welcoming the Guide Dogs into the store is always exciting for us, let alone our visitors, but it will be extra special to finally meet Bert,’ said an excited Suzanne.

Backing Bert‘It costs almost £50,000 to support a Guide Dog partnership from the birth of the pup to its retirement aged about 10. We’re going to be backing and monitoring Bert all the way and can’t wait to find out what he gets up to.

‘We’re incredibly proud to raise vital awareness of the wonderful work Guide Dogs do with the visually impaired; a cause obviously very close to our hearts as opticians.

‘We’re certainly not resting on our laurels and will continue to raise as much as we can for the cause.’

Invaluable supportGuide Dogs doesn’t receive any Government funding for this service so, without the generosity of public donations, wouldn’t be able to support the 4,600 Guide Dog partnerships in the UK.

Guide Dogs for the Blind provides mobility and freedom to blind and partially sighted people as well as campaigning for the rights of people with visual impairment, educating the public about eyecare and funding eye disease research.